A press conference was held on 28th September on the Acropolis in Athens. As well as discussing the progress of the restoration, President Karolos Papoulias repeated Greece’s request that all museums holding artefacts from the site should return them.
From:
The Scotsman [1]
Fri 29 Sep 2006
Greece renews demand for Elgin MarblesGREECE’S president, Karolos Papoulias, used a visit to restoration work on the Acropolis in Athens yesterday to call for the return of the Elgin Marbles.
Mr Papoulias said his message was to “all those who are obliged to return some of the masterpieces back to their home”.
He hoped “very soon we will be able to enjoy this aesthetic masterpiece in its entirety”.Demands for the return of the marbles, displayed at the British Museum in London, are mounting in Greece and have been reinforced by the return of other ancient Greek artefacts from countries such as Germany.
The visit coincided with the placement of a replica of an Ionic capital atop the second Ionic column of the western hall of the Propylae monumental gate to the Parthenon temple. The 2.2 tonne marble replica is an exact copy of a fifth-century BC Ionic capital.
It took artisans more than two years to carve by hand using the original techniques.
Decorated with spirals and mouldings, the capital replaces one of six originally in the gate, which also contained six in the more austere Doric style.
From:
Athens News Agency [2]
Ionic column capital replica inserted on Parthenon
Thursday, Sept. 28, 2006President of the Republic Karolos Papoulias on Thursday visited the Acropolis in the heart of Athens, where he was briefed on the restoration works being carried out on the archaeological site’s monuments.
Papoulias, who was accompanied by Culture Minister George Voulgarakis, was briefed in detail on the Acropolis restoration project by archaeologists. He later described the restoration as “a national project of exceptional importance”.
Moreover, in a clear reference to the Parthenon Marbles, he said the message was to “all those who are obliged to return some of the masterpieces back to their home”, expressing a hope that “very soon we will be able to enjoy this aesthetic masterpiece in its entirety”.
The visit coincided with the placement of a replica of an Ionic capital atop the second Ionic column of the western hall of the Propylae monumental gate to the Parthenon temple.
The 2.2 ton marble replica is an exact copy of a 5th century BC Ionic capital, and took artisans more than two years to carve by hand via ancient techniques.
Decorated with graceful spirals and moldings, the Ionic capital replaces one of the original six in the Propylae, which also contained a group of six capitals designed in the more austere Doric style.